Awakening

by Karice Bolton

  My drink was called first so I grabbed it and started my way through the crowd in the tiny coffee shop. The last thing I needed was to spill my latte over someone or myself for that matter. As I got to the table I remembered that I forgot a straw. As if on cue, Athen showed up with a straw in his hand giving me his usual half-lipped smirk that I loved so much.

  “How did you know I used one in a hot drink?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “Huh, well thank you. The thought of making it through the lines again was a little daunting.”

  “Well, not to rush you guys, but I think we better head on to our next destination.” Arie piped up.

  I longed for the table so that I wouldn’t spill my drink on myself, but decided I would have to buck up and figure out how to drink a beverage like most normal people. On our way out of the coffee shop, I noticed the haunting images of the six hikers that were posted on the community bulletin board. It was a bleak reminder of the possible fate of the hikers, and my heart sank a bit. I quietly cursed Karen for placing the crazy thoughts in my head. Thankfully, all it took was a look at Athen to get myself out of the funk. There was no way this family was involved in anything like that.

  “Are any of you guys going to let me in on the secret?” I asked, kind of not wanting the suspense to end. Nobody had ever put this much thought into anything that involved me, especially for me.

  “Absolutely not. You are ours today. Plus, we can’t give you any reason to ditch on us.” Cyril said laughing and grabbing Arie’s hand. At the same moment I could feel Athen’s hand wrap around mine and pull me through the crowd. Thank God for my lid.

  We walked over to the center square where the activity groups often met. I was completely puzzled. Athen’s hand squeezed mine, leading me to an area that read Soo Valley.

  “Can you figure it out? Do you know what it is yet?” Arie asked excitedly.

  “I have honestly no idea. I thought I knew everything that was offered, but I honestly have no idea what this could be.”

  “Good.” Athen whispered in my ear and chills ran up my spine.

  If only his voice wasn’t so amazingly haunting maybe I could concentrate better.

  The guide came out to meet us and, as guides usually are, seemed very upbeat and excited to get us ready for the day’s adventures, whatever they may be.

  “Alright, who is Athen?” The guide asked.

  Athen stepped forward and shook the guy’s hand. “I’m and this is Arie, my sister and almost brother-in-law Cyril and the star of the show, Ana.”

  “Great. Good to meet you all. I’m Dave, and I will be taking you to Soo Valley,” He said looking directly at me not lifting his gaze, “Are you ready to head to the van and start the day’s event?”

  “Uh, yeah. Whatever it is.” I peeped up. Athen wrapped his arm around me, and we all shuffled to the parking lot where the van was kept.

  “So, the guide must have thought you had syrup in your hair?” Athen whispered.

  “What are you talking about Athen?” I asked perplexed.

  “Let me guess, you didn’t notice how he was only talking to you?” Athen said laughing.

  “I noticed, but I figured it was because I work in the village or you told them ahead of time it was a surprise for me, the star of the show.” I said sarcastically.

  “Nada. You are so oblivious Ana.” He said squeezing me.

  “Oblivious to what?”

  “How enchanting you are.”

  “Whatever. I’m sure there is a logical explanation for his stare.” As if on cue I slipped on the one piece of ice that hadn’t melted from the heated walkway on the way to the lot. I grabbed Athen on the way down, and thankfully that made it far less painful then it could have been. Of course, I still landed with a thud.

  “Oh my god. Are you ok?” Arie asked not sure whether to laugh or be frightened.

  “Oh yes. I’m totally fine. I thought I wasn’t getting enough attention.” Athen grabbed me back up, and we piled into the van. The van had a rather musty smell, like most of the shuttles around the village from all of the melting snow that fell off of people day after day and all of the wet clothing that saturated the seats from the rides back from whatever fun place that they had ventured to that day.

  As the van started up, I caught a glimpse of a conversation between Cyril and Arie. Embarrassment began to make an appearance as I was eavesdropping, but I was intrigued. I couldn’t help myself from wanting to hear more. Athen must have sensed it because he immediately touched my chin, which sent a spark through me. It sounded a little serious, but I couldn’t decipher the topic. The thought of the missing hikers entered my psyche in a flash, only to vanish as soon as he touched me.

  “So, have you figured out where we are headed yet?”

  “Soo Valley.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I have no idea. You asked where not what.” I said trying to give it back to him, instantly dismissing the uneasy feelings that Karen had so thoughtfully placed.

  David, our guide, began the usual chitchat with all of us, asking us the typical questions like where were we from and if we liked the village. Thankfully Athen and Cyril did most of the talking, and before I knew it, we were pulling down a long and winding road. It looked like a private road, and was very narrow for the large van we were riding in especially as we went over all of the bumps. The limbs brushed the side and top of the van creating a screeching sound as we drove at a snail’s pace. As I looked deeper into the woods I could see a stately log cabin, which looked like it was in the direction we were heading. The snow was piled up pretty high on the sides of the road as if they had plowed recently.

  “I still can’t figure it out. The suspense is killing me! You have got to tell me.”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” Arie piped up.

  “Alright, alright.” I complained.

  The van circled around to the front of the log cabin and came to a stop. I peered out the window and saw an impressive stone porch with matching pillars leading up to where we were evidently supposed to meet.

  “OK, guys, we are here.” David said as he climbed out of the van. He came over to our side of the van and helped us all out. I could hear dogs barking excitedly in the distance and wondered if they had anything to do with our adventure. I was hoping their idea of good time wasn’t to dress in an assailant costume and be attacked by dogs.

  As I was busy thinking these ridiculous thoughts we climbed the stairs to enter the lobby of the log cabin. The warmth escaping hit my cheeks instantly. I looked around and saw a picture perfect seating area nestled near the fire that was throwing off all of the heat I was enjoying. The van was a bit colder than I expected. The couches that caught my attention were a homey, deep-brown leather, with red fleece blankets folded on the back. The bright green shag rug that the coffee table sat on looked like a perfect bed for Matilda.

  An older woman with pure white hair stepped out from behind the front counter, introducing herself as Marcy and asked if any of us would like coffee, tea, or hot chocolate before we were to set off for the afternoon. Since I still had no clue what was going on, I opted for the coffee in case we were going out snowshoeing for the day leaving behind all sense of warmth and security. I hoped they weren’t counting on me being super athletic because I would most certainly disappoint. Although it did look like athleticism ran in Athen’s family.

  As I reached for my coffee, I heard the back door open, and David, our guide, asked us to follow him. Everyone followed suit, and Athen grabbed my hand and had us linger in the lobby for a moment. I was hoping the older lady had gone back into her office, and in that moment I heard the door click to the back office.

  “Alright Ana, I hope you like this,” Athen said a little apprehensively, “We are going dog sledding and then stopping for a lunch before heading back to the lodge for drinks.”

  I looked up at Athen, realizing how hopeful he looked. He genuinely seemed to care about me and about p
leasing me. I had no idea why. I couldn’t explain for the life of me why he had chosen me, but I was the luckiest girl ever. I said a little prayer that I wouldn’t disappoint him.

  “Athen, you couldn’t have done anything more perfect.”

  He looked down at me. His hands slowly rose up my back and cradled me as his lips touched down to mine. My senses were ignited in a way that I had never thought possible. The only way that I could help myself in this moment was to kiss him back. The warmth of his breath came over me as I held him tight, and the sensations ripped through my body. His lips stung mine like thistles. The electricity running between us was almost painful, but I couldn’t stop being this close to him. It was as if a lifetime had passed between us in the last 24 hours of meeting, and I didn’t want another second to go by without experiencing him throughout me.

  “Yeah, love birds, let’s get a move on it.” I heard a loud thud and saw Arie smack Cyril with her bag. Then I heard her say,” Let them be, Cy. It has been a long time.” The words made no sense to me. Athen must have caught it too because he instantly let go, and we walked down the stairs to the group with me tailing behind wondering what she meant.

  I was quickly distracted by the sound of the excited dogs yipping away, and when I looked over to where they were harnessed, their wild beauty literally took my breath away. They were so happy and ready for their freedom on the trails. I knew immediately that I had better get my act together. David, our guide turned musher, was going over all of the features of the harnesses as we were getting situated in our sled.

  “Hey, guys. This is Taylor. He is our other musher, not as good as me, but we take what we can get.” David said laughing.

  “Hi, hope you all enjoy our little adventure today and David no pay for you today.” Taylor said without missing a beat.

  “Guess the owner doesn’t have a sense of humor today.” David said smiling, and Taylor smacked him on the back.

  I couldn’t wait for the dogs to take off. I was trying to get the hood of my very fluffy, goose-down jacket situated when I felt Athen pull up my collar without even looking, which made it much easier. I was so thankful to have worn such a warm outfit.

  “All set,” Cyril yelled, “I got my baby tied down before you did, huh Athen?”

  “Not a chance, Cy. I’ve been done for minutes, I was helping Ana get herself organized.”

  The quick lurch of the sled alerted me that the adventure was about to begin, as we bolted up the first snow and ice covered path.

  “Oh my God, Athen, this is so awesome.”

  “Are you too cold?” He yelled back.

  “No way! This is spectacular, wonderful… almost as wonderful as the kiss back in the lodge. Thank you so much for both experiences!” I said teasing him.

  “Thank you, Ana.”

  I grabbed onto him tightly, nestling my head on his back as our sled ran over the trails. The snow dust picked up in the wind creating a beautiful swirl of light. I saw all the trees pass by us so quickly. The ground drizzled with downed logs in between creating a beautiful scene for me to lock in my memory forever. Everything was glistening and almost alive on the forest floor. I knew I was lucky to be able to take it all in, especially with him. There was nothing more peaceful than being in the mountains with the white, angelic hues dusting everything, casting a beautiful glow all around. I had a quick flash to the night before when Athen first called me on the phone and the beautiful glow that had entered my bedroom. I snapped out of my daydreaming and took a deep breath in noticing the icicles that dangled from the bare tree limbs of the now naked maples that were peeking out from around the evergreens. They added something very special to the landscape and made the view stunning. With each bump, I grabbed onto Athen a little tighter. I was slowly becoming secure in this new world that had come my way very quickly, and I knew Karen was wrong about these people.

  I could hear the barking begin as we rounded down the first corner deep into the forest. This was part of Whistler that I never would have seen before if I hadn’t met Athen. I wouldn’t want to share this moment with anyone else. The forest was much more dense. The towering trees let very little light in as we flew over the snow-packed trail making the icicles now harder to spot.

  Every once in a while as we went over a large rut I grabbed on more tightly to Athen’s waist. I swear that I could feel him smile. I hoped I was right.

  We rounded another bend, and the dogs began to pick up their pace. I wondered what could be up at the next hill. In between dog barks and laughing from Cyril, I thought I could hear something else, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  At that moment Athen’s voice swirled back to me.

  “There is a river over the hill. That is probably the noise you are hearing.”

  A pulse of exhilaration ran through me. How is it that he knows what I’m thinking or is this all in my head, maybe I spoke and didn’t realize it? If he can hear my thoughts than he hears me now. Why do I do this? I’m sure I’m reading too much into this. Athen’s body shook a little, and I couldn’t tell if he was readjusting or trying to hide a laugh. I decided to bring up my suspicion.

  “Do you know that you often answer my questions before I ask them?”

  “How would I know what you are going to ask before you ask it? Don’t you think we could just be in tune?”

  I liked that thought and dropped it as we went gliding through the rest of the trail, resting my head on his back. Plus I didn’t want to feel as silly for thinking such bizarre thoughts. I began to see what looked like a wooden structure up ahead and wondered if that was our resting spot for lunch.

  “Is that where we are meeting for lunch? How long have we been on the sleds? It only seemed like a few minutes!” I yelled hoping Athen would hear me.

  I heard David’s voice begin to answer my questions. Figuring out how loud I must have been. I hoped I didn’t cause any hearing loss for Athen.

  “We’ve been riding for about an hour, and that is our resting spot up ahead. We have sandwiches, salads, chips, hot chocolate, and coffee. But the best part is the triple fudge brownies that Marcy makes fresh daily. She is the gal you met at the front counter.”

  “Ooooh. I can’t wait!” I heard Arie shout from behind us. She always added such excitement and happiness to wherever she landed.

  We circled around the back of what looked like a pergola as he brought our dogs to a stop. We pulled in right next to Taylor’s sled. The mushers unharnessed the dogs as we got out of the sled. We began walking up the steps to the picnic benches as our mushers went back to the sleds to grab the food, our boots crunching in the snow.

  Arie came running over to me breathless and almost more excited than I think I was.

  “What do you think, Ana? Athen thought this all up himself.”

  I blushed at the thought of someone going to so much trouble for me, and of all people, it was hard to imagine this particular set of beings giving me the time of day, let alone this much effort.

  “Are you sure he thought this up all by himself?” Athen’s arm wrapped itself around my waist as he jokingly acted as if he was going to take me down to the deck.

  “Alright, alright. I believe you. I have to say that I have never had anyone go to this much trouble for me or put even half as much thought into something. It means a lot to me. Truly. I will never forget this.”

  Arie bounded up to me and gave me a great big hug. “We are so happy to have you as part of our unit, Ana. You belong with us.”

  I thought this moment was getting kind of heavy especially for as little time as I had known them, but deep inside I felt the stirrings too. I worried that I was over-exaggerating. Maybe Arie was simply referring to all of our friendships and not specifically Athen’s affections- although, I had secretly hoped not. I looked over at him as he was leaning up against the wooden post. He was truly gorgeous-without trying. His eyes had the familiar glow to them again. In fact, it was as if his entire being was throwing a cast off. I quickly at
tributed it to the cold air. It was hard to imagine that someone could be so breathtaking, especially since I should be used to looking at him by now. He started grinning pretty wide. His dark eyebrows went up as he looked over at me. Once again I was certain that he knew what I was thinking. I scolded myself for thinking such ridiculous thoughts.

  Thankfully, the mushers interrupted my internal swooning by laying out all of the lunch preparations. They switched on the propane heater, which made me happy and excited to thaw out quickly. I walked over to the picnic table that held all of the food and scanned the many bowls and platters that were laid out. It was an incredible spread, especially for only us four.

  “Wow, this is so gourmet.” Arie squealed. I knew she was enjoying this as much as I was.

  “I know. I could take a little bit of everything.” I said as eyed the wonderful looking pesto salad and beefsteak tomato salad.

  “That’s what it’s here for. If we go back to the lodge with anything left over, Marcy will take it personally so I suggest we all eat up.” The musher, David, told us all.

  “Doesn’t sound like a problem to me.” Cyril said happily as he piled his plate high.

  We all found a seat at the picnic table and began eating as the mushers went over to feed the dogs. I was sitting across from Athen, and it was pretty hard to concentrate when sitting directly across from him again. I decided from now on I would always try to take a seat next to him so I wouldn’t be faced with having to look directly at him and not be able to concentrate or even be able to find my fork for that matter. He started laughing. I looked down at my plate sheepishly, realizing, yet again, that it was like he was in my mind stealing my thoughts.

  “Arie, do you ever get the feeling that Athen can read your mind?” I looked over to her. She gave a nervous glance towards Athen.

  “No, not really. He tries but usually gets it wrong.”

  “Huh,” I responded, “It seems like I can’t have a private thought to save my life.”

  “You crack me up, Ana.” Cyril piped in.